Please, Remember Me
by Every-Midnight
Summary: A new friend, a new foe, revelations, shock and, well... life on the Hellmouth. Feedback appreciated!


Disclaimer: Don't own anyone. Well, ok, in this chapter everyone is mine, except for Spike. Joss got him first :(

Story: Takes place after the events of As You Were. Hope you like!

Note: This is my first fic, so don't expect it to be something readable. I dedicate it to… well, myself. And you!

Feedback: Please, yes. Can't live without it. Or can I?

SUNNYDALE, the present; 11:11 p.m.

THE BRONZE 

Nothing in the world can be compared to a bachelor party, especially if you're the guy of the evening.

You've got despair, a tiny bit of despair – oh my God, this feels like the last party ever… with half-naked girls, at least, - you've got the party spirit, you've got all your male friends feeling more male than ever… You don't have to do the planning, just the partying. And, of course, you've got the stripper.

What's a bachelor party without a stripper?

It's like saying goodbye to all things bachelor. A metaphor. Hell, having a stripper is poetic. And super important, too.

Tonight was the night.

"Billy! Billy! Billy!" The crowd chanted as the guy on the stage waved at everyone drunkenly with his free hand – the one that wasn't holding the almost empty bottle.

"Hi people!"

That undoubtedly smart remark earned him a massive 'Yay!' that left him almost deaf – he could barely stand on his own, and here they were, giving him a monster headache.

"Sit down, Billy!" One of his friends patted him on the back and smiled at him. Whoa… Did that guy have a twin or something? "Hey, hey, stay awake!" Billy felt a hand on his shoulder; then came a powerful shake, and everything came back into focus, just to disappear again, completely this time, in a couple of seconds. "Billy! Snap out of it! You just _have_ to see the big surprise. Feel it, man."

"Uh-huh," Billy nodded, almost asleep.

"Good." The hand left his shoulder, and he could finally rest. Ah… This was harder than he thought.

"And now!" A voice announced, so loudly that Billy nearly fell from the chair his friends pushed him on. "Now… Here is the big surprise.

"The moment you've been waiting for all night.

"Billy's last taste of freedom.

"A very special guest from LA…

"The one and only…

"Yeah!" The crowd, full of horny guys, exploded in a cheer.

"The best…

And then it happened.

The guy with the mike stopped mid-sentence, and the room became so silent it hurt Billy's ears even more than the chanting and the shouting. He looked up.

And saw light.

Only light, white and pure, coming through the windows, the ceiling, the floor, everywhere. It was blinding, terrifying, calming, soothing, all at the same time, he suddenly realized the pain in his head was gone, and the only thing he could feel was the light. Funny, but he couldn't see it anymore; he felt it on his skin, he heard it flow, he smelled it in the air, he could almost touch it with his fingertips. It was everything.

God.

It all stopped as fast as it began – he felt the light leave him, it almost hurt; he opened his eyes – did he close them at all? – and saw the rays concentrate on the floor in the middle of the stage. Everyone in the room was staring at the spot where the rays blended, melting into one, swirling, spinning, dancing… The sight was so beautiful Billy couldn't stand it. He got up, feeling numb, as if he was sleepwalking, and moved over to where the light now whirled, mesmerized. Almost involuntarily, he reached over with his hand to touch the rays; he was all but shaking.

His fingers felt the light, and he gasped from the sensation. Heaven. Just like touching heaven.

Did all bachelor parties end like this?

He didn't have the chance to finish that thought. The rays exploded under his touch, disappearing, making him forget the intense feelings, leaving him empty and drunk again…

And her – lying on the floor.

"Wha… what was _that_?" The guy with the mike tried to say, but it came out in a whisper.

All eyes were on her, the girl on the floor. Brought over by the light.

She staggered to her feet, looking around, suspicion and confusion on her face. There were so many people… Lights… Noises… Those people, they were all eyeing her… And her head hurt, so much. She wanted to curl up in her bed – hell, just somewhere – and sleep. Sleep… forever.

Billy was the first to recover.

"So… the stripper, huh? Nice surprise," he smirked, putting his palm on her thigh.

Even she herself wasn't fast enough to see her own hand grab the bottle he was holding and smash him with it over the head; she could only stare in horror with the rest of the room as he fell to his knees and then hit the floor, unconscious from the blow.

She felt like she was going to faint herself, from the pain she was feeling everywhere, from the cries in the room, from all the attention and the light… She felt drained of her strength, even though her body proved otherwise. Everything was spinning around her; she was suffocating; she felt a wave of heat overcome her and almost welcomed the darkness that would surely come afterwards… But then came the feeling, something she couldn't understand or describe, and it somehow held her on her feet. 'Outside', her brain told her. 'Outside. Outside. Outside.' It was suddenly important that she leave, now. Something out there was calling her, and her exhaustion couldn't stop her from answering.

Automatically, she grabbed a cue stick from one of the pool tables and ran out of the room, leaving everyone in a state of shock.

OUTSIDE – in the alley 

Spike was worried.

Not for himself. Well, okay, that too. But mostly, he was worried for his Slayer – and when exactly did she become yours, mate? His inner sarcastic bastard asked, - for what they, whoever "they" were, could do to her. They were hunting in gangs now… with humans, too… The Slayer would never kill a human. How would she fight them?

But that wasn't his biggest problem right now; the four humans and the six vamps in front of him were. A fucking gang, teamed up against him. He didn't stand a chance. He could see they were afraid of him, and that made him feel better, but not much, really. The humans were approaching him slowly, and the vamps backed them up. He couldn't get away without a headache, and he knew that a moment of distraction, which the pain from the bloody chip would definitely provide, would cost him his unlife. He decided to back out for now, but the humans were advancing, and soon he found himself trapped between them and a wall. Damn.

He licked his lips, wondering silently where the hell was the slayer when you actually needed her. She was always whining about not getting any action, about not having any vamps or demons to slay. And here he was, with six of them, plus the humans, and she was nowhere to be seen. Funny.

"So… What will it be? A violent beating or…"

Seeing the stakes that suddenly appeared in the hands if the humans, Spike decided 'or' was it. Oh fuck. This definitely wasn't the way he planned everything to end. Damn it, he hadn't planned for it to end at all. He realized he didn't want to die. For her, yes. Like this, in a dirty alley, by the hands of someone who wasn't even a slayer… No.

Spike prepared for a fight, bracing himself – there was going to be a lot of pain involved… Especially for him. He smiled wryly before turning his full attention to the group before him.

"All right. Let's get this over with, shall we?"

"Stop."

Huh?

A female voice. Not Buffy. Not anyone he knew.

Before he could understand what was happening, two of the vamps were dust; the third one soon joined them on the muddy ground, revealing the small figure that stood behind him.

Black midi dress. All torn. High-heeled shoes. Dark hair. Empty eyes. A cue stick in her hands. Spike could sense the power radiating from her. Another slayer?

The gang didn't need much time to react; as surprised as they were, they were still organized. The girl bought Spike time, though; in a split second he pushed a human away, getting shocked by the chip a bit, and joined the girl on the other side of the alley. She eyed him warily, and the gang eyed her… And then they attacked.

"Vampire!" Spike heard her scream, and saw her break the stick in two and throw one of the two halves to him. He caught it easily, using it to stake a vamp that attacked him, and turned around just in time to get hit in the face by someone. Involuntarily, he hit him back and instantly regretted it; the chip reacted to violence, and Spike growled, feeling the pain that seemed to hit his every nerve. Swaying, he ducked as the human tried to punch him again and reeled back after a well-placed kick to his midsection. The human was strong, and Spike couldn't fight back; suddenly he felt something rip his stomach apart and, looking down, saw a stake that his opponent used on him. Shit. It hurt so bad… Everything around him was in a blur and spinning; he could hardly see.

"Slayer!" Using that nickname for her felt like betraying Buffy. It was reserved for her… On the other hand, what was he supposed to call her? It's not like he knew the bird's name. And what were those stupid thoughts doing in his head anyway?

She turned around with amazing speed, and the guy in front of Spike was suddenly on the ground, moaning in pain. Spike looked up to see a vampire attack him from the side; he hit a wall with a thump, but recovered in time to break the attacker's jaw with his fist and stake him. The wound from the stake was slowing him down, and it hurt like hell, but at least now he could see. He watched her fight the remaining opponents. She hit one of the two standing humans with the cue stick between the legs and then, when he bent down, knocked him unconscious with a kick to the jaw; the last one tried to run, but she was on his back in a second. They both hit the ground, but she was the first to recover; she headbutted the guy, leaving him in Dreamland too, and rolled off him in time to kick the vampire who tried to sneak up on her with her legs, sending him flying at Spike, who staked him from the behind.

Spike stood straight, holding the wall for support and facing the slayer, who was also getting up. He knew he was a goner if she decided to attack him, and why wouldn't she? She didn't know about his, um, small problem, and she definitely could tell he was a vampire. Vampire – bad, right? He wondered why didn't she stake him right away, and why didn't she seem eager to do that now either.

Spike looked at her closely for the first time and found her staring back at him. She held her stake in front of herself for protection, but didn't make a move to kill him. Hmm… Was the word 'confusion' tattooed on her forehead, or was it just him? She looked so lost; the powerful girl who just kicked all those bastards' asses was gone.

Suddenly she frowned, as if remembering something, and Spike realized he was still in danger, and wounded, and unable to fight back. He decided to do what he did best. Or worst. Talking.

"So, uh… You're the slayer?" He started tentatively. Okay, dumb question, but his brain was too tired to work properly.

The girl closed her eyes and lowered her cue stick. She looked pale and exhausted, and Spike could see something was wrong. She didn't even answer him.

"You all right?"

She opened her eyes and nodded, dropping the stake.

"Uh… Good," Spike nodded too. "Cause for a minute there, you looked like you were gonna faint."

She smiled wearily.

Then she fainted.


End file.
